swishing of the tale and an odd feeling when ridden...

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Horsekaren

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i know this is a basic silly question .... yet another one of mine :D
This may just be my noviceness but just wanted to check with the experts on here as always :)

I lunged my boy for a few mins this morning then jumped on. i noticed he was constantly swishing his tail and his back end felt like it was a bit off ( i know i have been on and on about getting him to lift and work from behind but this wasn't that) at points if felt like his bank end was lifting and his legs felt as if they light but not in a nice way. He swished his tail about 80 percent of the time.

I have a back lady coming later today just to give him a once over and a massage but i was just curios what this could have been.
He was at a clinic on the weekend and did a similar stint (without the swishing but his back end and then a mini bronc) i have a video if anyone would like the link.

Not sure if its just horse being a horse or if maybe something is bugging him. I can see any signs of lameness but i certainly done have the best eye.

Does anyone elses horse have days, moments like this?

I am looking into saddles and have a fitter coming soon but not sure if that would cause his back end to feel off.

sorry i know i go on, if the slightest thing doesnt feel 100% i always over analyse, hopefully this is just one of those times :/ and i can blame my trusty old friend the spring grass :P
 
If he did a clinic at the weekend, depending on what new/difficult exercises he did I would be checking for sore muscles. And, as above, saddle fit (and fwiw, horses being horses = dossing in the field, not displaying signs of discomfort!)
 
JillA said:
If he did a clinic at the weekend, depending on what new/difficult exercises he did I would be checking for sore muscles. And, as above, saddle fit (and fwiw, horses being horses = dossing in the field, not displaying signs of discomfort!)
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i did think that about horses being horses, but as we was riding in a new field and i disrupted his routine as he normally just goes strait out at 6am not made to work i wondered if it was just grumpiness... this is unusual for him as he is very much the same horse to ride normally no matter when i ride him... so i turned to all you wonderfully helpful people on here :)


Would a saddle fit issue cause a horse to want to trot when asked to walk ( this has been the case the last few times i have ridden, apart from at the clinic as he had poles and other horses to focus on he was less interested in trying to trot) before then he would never chose to trot rather than walk :/ I am correcting him by asking him to walk and if he doesnt listen we stand, then walk... then he does it again and i keep making him stand. Id have thought if that was the saddle he would be reluctant to go forward no the opposite.
 
I'm not an expert but sounds like discomfort to me. Constant swishing of the tail would indicate that and it sounds like he might have been bracing his back a bit? Could well be a saddle fit problem so I'd definitely get that checked out and it may be that he has some sore muscles from saddle fit or perhaps coming back into work?
 
Amye said:
I'm not an expert but sounds like discomfort to me. Constant swishing of the tail would indicate that and it sounds like he might have been bracing his back a bit? Could well be a saddle fit problem so I'd definitely get that checked out and it may be that he has some sore muscles from saddle fit or perhaps coming back into work?
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Yes!!!! that is a better way to describe it :) i would that that sounds spot on, its like bracing, i suppose like a person going ooo and hunching forward. Then his back legs instead of moving forward as normal at points its like his is almost paddling so he is lifting them higher but covering less ground and looking clumsy.
 
Certainly sounds like discomfort and saddle is most likely but there could be other causes too - something spiky stuck to the numnah or even in his tail where it can rub, sheath problems, carrying a long stick so that it tickles without you meaning to. Start with the saddle, and if he's showing discomfort I wouldn't personally ride in it until the saddle has been.
 
Theocat said:
Certainly sounds like discomfort and saddle is most likely but there could be other causes too - something spiky stuck to the numnah or even in his tail where it can rub, sheath problems, carrying a long stick so that it tickles without you meaning to. Start with the saddle, and if he's showing discomfort I wouldn't personally ride in it until the saddle has been.
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Thanks, i will check his tack, tail and sheath later. Hopefully the back lady will be able to spot if there is any soreness, she had a look at my saddle last time too so will ask her to do this again. Having a nightmare trying to get a saddle fitter they are all sooo busy.
I have a lady coming to fit a treeless saddle in a couple of weeks so hopefully he might feel better in that.
 
Easy way to check for saddle discomfort - ride him bareback for a couple of sessions (bearing in mind memory of pain). Good for your seat too
 
JillA said:
Easy way to check for saddle discomfort - ride him bareback for a couple of sessions (bearing in mind memory of pain). Good for your seat too
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*smiles with gritted teeth* i hate bareback, i find it so uncomfortable and hate being in such close contact. My seat isnt the best so i know it will prob help me out ... until i lose balance on a turn and slip off the side :P I'll see how we go but yes i feel that is going to be my only option whilst i'm waiting for saddles.
 
Horsekaren said:
*smiles with gritted teeth* i hate bareback, i find it so uncomfortable and hate being in such close contact. My seat isnt the best so i know it will prob help me out ... until i lose balance on a turn and slip off the side :P I'll see how we go but yes i feel that is going to be my only option whilst i'm waiting for saddles.
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Get yourself a neck strap and only do walk work until you feel more secure. It really will help your seat. It also might be worth asking someone to video when you are riding him, you may be better able to see what is happening and why.

I definitely found that my big shouldered mare was far more comfortable and went much better/more freely in a treeless saddle.
 
Horsekaren said:
i know this is a basic silly question .... yet another one of mine :D
This may just be my noviceness but just wanted to check with the experts on here as always :)

I lunged my boy for a few mins this morning then jumped on. i noticed he was constantly swishing his tail and his back end felt like it was a bit off ( i know i have been on and on about getting him to lift and work from behind but this wasn't that) at points if felt like his bank end was lifting and his legs felt as if they light but not in a nice way. He swished his tail about 80 percent of the time.

I have a back lady coming later today just to give him a once over and a massage but i was just curios what this could have been.
He was at a clinic on the weekend and did a similar stint (without the swishing but his back end and then a mini bronc) i have a video if anyone would like the link.

Not sure if its just horse being a horse or if maybe something is bugging him. I can see any signs of lameness but i certainly done have the best eye.

Does anyone elses horse have days, moments like this?

I am looking into saddles and have a fitter coming soon but not sure if that would cause his back end to feel off.

sorry i know i go on, if the slightest thing doesnt feel 100% i always over analyse, hopefully this is just one of those times :/ and i can blame my trusty old friend the spring grass :P
Click to expand...

If after checking saddle he's still not right I would consider ulcers - ours tail swished & bronced so after full lameness workup we scoped & had ulcers
 
Agree try bareback. My mare started moving away from the mounting block when I went to get on. I eventually twigged it might be the saddle. Took saddle off, returned to the mounting block and she stood absolutely still.
 
JillA said:
Easy way to check for saddle discomfort - ride him bareback for a couple of sessions (bearing in mind memory of pain). Good for your seat too
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None of my horses would thank me for riding them bareback and digging my bony old bum in them :D
 
My mare changes her way of going when her guts are playing up. They're terrible at the moment because of the changeably weather and grass flushing suddenly. She feels like she's on drugs and doesn't like going downhill or cantering. She was diagnosed with HGA officially in the Autumn, but has struggled all her life - this wet winter has been so bad for her. :-(
 
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